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Texas Toast or French Toast?
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After a multi-week hiatus (indeed, just over a month), the Toast-O-Meter is back. The goal from here on out is to have two more 2026 Toast-O-Meters: one next week and then the Final Toast on Election Day.
With less than two weeks left in the contest, both candidates are feeling the heat, but with neither clearly qualifying as toast at this point in time.
The weakness of the Kerry candidacies continues to be manifest: despite the clear vulnerability on the part of the President, Kerry has yet to seal the deal. The fact that his campaign has long lacked a clear theme (“We’ll Do Better�? isn’t a theme, it’s a platitude at best) has clearly made it difficult for voters to be drawn to his cause. And while it perhaps oughtn’t to matter, his personality doesn’t help his cause.
A clear indication of his lack of theme is his constant shifts of focus on the campaign trail. The latest examples: social security and the flu vaccine. Neither of these issues were on the edge of the radar a few weeks back, but Kerry is willing to shift at a moment’s notice to whatever vulnerabilities he perceives at the moment, only to drop them when the news cycle gets tired of the tale. Now, on the one hand, this is smart politics, if one has something else that is foundational in one’s campaign. If the strategy is simply to hope for some bad news to exploit this week, then the thinness of one’s platform becomes rather obvious.
Of course, this is the candidate who, in his convention bio film, started his reason for running for president was that he was “frustrated�?. (And they say Poppy had a problem with the “vision thing�?). Indeed, the strategy for Kerry all along seems to have been a resume-driven one (a la Bob Dole) rather than one based on a specific vision for the country. Of course in Kerry’s case resume means Viet Nam and a lengthy, but somewhat hollow Senate career. The most noteworthy elements in his biography are his four and half months on the swift votes and his post-war protests (and the latter is more prominent than the former). For a wholly analytical viewpoint, the weaknesses he brings to campaign are pretty clear.
I note this because it is equally clear that Bush is a beatable incumbent. However, the combination of Kerry’s personality (which is not endearing), his lack of philosophical clarity and vision both linked to his problematic biography have made it difficult for Kerry to capitalize on the President’s position.
As such, I predict that Bush will win, but narrowly. The main fear that I have is that the lawyers will cause a boatload of problems before the winner is declared (to the detriment of our democracy).
This week’s reading of the Toast-O-Meter has Bush slightly ahead, as the general poll situation favors him slightly, and for the above-mentioned weaknesses on Kerry’s part. Kerry scores some Wonder Bread for being able to use the debate (specifically the first one) to quell doubts that had been growing about his candidacy. Bush gets the edge because despite the tight polling, Bush still has commanding leads in multiple polls on the terrorism question, which I still maintain will be the issue that turns this election.
Kerry also gets some flames for his inconsistency and his Mary Cheney gaffe. Bush gets some heat over his debate performance–wherein he could’ve landed some serious hurt on Kerry, but instead let his opponent capitalize on the event.
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BREWING ISSUES |
(Of course, some of these have been on the heat so long, they taste more like burnt coffee than freshly brewed)
- SECURITY
- Bush Says Kerry Doesn’t Understand Terror War
- Kerry Mocks Bush War Leadership
- Bush Vs. Kerry: Tackling the Threat of Nuclear War
- In Bush’s Vision, a Mission to Spread Power of Liberty [RSS]
- Voters in 10 States Likely to Ban Gay Marriages. This could matter because it could boost conservative turn-out in states like Michigan.
- Divergent Views of Iraq Defining Election
- A TOUCH OF THE INFLUENZA
- This flu vaccine thing has become something of an issue. While I understand the basic issue, I am quite unclear as to precisely why it would be the job of the President of the United States to gurantee that everyone gets a flu shot or to guarantee the activities of a British manufacturing plant. Still, it have people upset, includingMark A. R. Kleiman. Also, Kerry Ad Says Flu Vaccine Shortage Is Typical of Bush’s Policy Blunders. Meanwhile,Kevin Drum ponders the whole issue and provides links aplenty.
- Flu Vaccine an Issue in Presidential Race
- Cheney Got Flu Shot, Aides Say, Citing Heart Issue
- Lawmakers getting flu shot sparks debate
- STEM CELLS
To some degree this function as a substitute for the abortion debate. However, the main purpose of the stem cell debate for Kerry is to raise the spectre that Bush is a religious luddite who will place arcane doctrine over science and saving lives. Of course, Edwards took the entire discuss to the level of sad parody and/or cruel expectation generation when he said “”If we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve will get up out of that wheelchair and walk again.” That has to rank as one of the most shameless statements in the history of American politics, not to mention a blatant exploitation of a man’s death.
POLLING (And we all now how painful that can be).
- What the polls are telling us.
- Some key red states are still hard to pin down.
- Polls Apart.
- Poll Shows Split Views on Iraq War.
- WaPo: Charting the Campaign.
- Eight states, 99 electoral votes draw focus from Bush, Kerry
- Yahoo! News – Analysis: 8 States May Decide Election
- For all the polling and Electoral College Info you can take:
- Daly Thoughts and Dales’ Electoral College Breakdown 2026
- Election Projection – 2026 Edition
- RealClearPolitics.
- The Hedgehog Report
- PollingReport.com
KILL ALL THE LAWYERS (The Shakespearen section)
No doubt the biggest problem we face is the potential unleashing of 1000s of lawsuits during the election, so as to turn demoracy into litagation. I fear this more than any other outcome on election day.
- Election Protests Already Starting
- Both Sides Ready to Mount Legal Challenges to Election Results.
- Florida Under the Magnifying Glass.
- Candidates prepare for recount.
- Lawyers Keep Eyes On Election, Polling Places May Be Challenged.
- A look at lawsuits, voting problems and other ballot issues around the country.
October 22nd, 2026 at 3:40 am
[...] t 21, 2026
For the next to the next to the last time…
The Toast-O-Meter is back!
Posted by: Deb
on Oct 21, 04 | 11:40 pm
[0] Comments (0 vi [...]
October 21st, 2026 at 9:02 pm
The Toast is Back in Town
With less than two weeks to go, PoliBlog’s Toast-O-Meter returns….
October 21st, 2026 at 9:57 pm
The Toast-O-Meter is Back!
Texas toast or French toast? Steven Taylor is back with the Toast-O-Meter….
October 21st, 2026 at 10:29 pm
Toast
Just as I was having some Texas Toast for supper, I got an email announcing that the PoliBlog Toast-o-Meter was back. How timely.
October 21st, 2026 at 10:40 pm
For the next to the next to the last time…
The Toast-O-Meter is back!
October 21st, 2026 at 10:42 pm
Gosh, where to begin. First, glad you’re back. Second, I disagree that Bush is clearly vulnerable.
The only “vulnerability” I see is which lie the DNC spouts that isn’t rebutted quickly enough. People don’t feel comfortable with Kerry, and I think that will carry Bush to a decisive win.
October 21st, 2026 at 11:16 pm
Pre-Election Toast-o-Meter
Steven Taylor brings back the Toast-o-Meter for the final 2 weeks….
October 21st, 2026 at 11:52 pm
Enemablog
It’s time to collate the links from across the blogosphere for another week: * Bill’s back but jobless. If you can spare some change don’t waste it on a beggar, give it to Bill – the best source of trash talk in blogging today. Jim’s further along …
October 21st, 2026 at 11:57 pm
Linkfest and Kleenex
Good news? My Cardinals are going to the World Series. Bad news? I’m sick as a really sick dog with…
October 21st, 2026 at 11:59 pm
Enemablog
It’s time to collate the links from across the blogosphere for another week: * Bill’s back but jobless. If you can spare some change don’t waste it on a beggar, give it to Bill – the best source of trash talk in blogging today. Jim’s further along …
October 22nd, 2026 at 12:11 am
Butter Please
Behold, the Toast-O-Meter. Steven Taylor’s take on the Presidential race….
October 22nd, 2026 at 2:51 am
Toast-O-Meter Rounds-Up, Summarizes Pre-Election Status
Poliblogger’s Toast-O-Meter gives a solid pre-election analysis. Here are a few crumbs: Indeed, the strategy for Kerry all along seems to have been a resume-driven one (a la Bob Dole) rather than one based on a specific vision for…
October 22nd, 2026 at 3:18 am
Toast-O-Meter
The weekly Toast-O-Meter is available for the reading pleasure of political junkies.
October 22nd, 2026 at 3:18 am
Toast-O-Meter
The weekly Toast-O-Meter is available for the reading pleasure of political junkies.
October 22nd, 2026 at 5:32 am
Toast-O-Meter Returns
Poliblogger is back with the Toast tales and a lot more. Seems the take is they are both toastin’. Alas, I too am very fearful of the after debate lawyer issue
October 22nd, 2026 at 6:18 am
The Toast-O-Meter Returns!
After a month-long hiatus, Steven Taylor has published a new edition of the PoliBlog Toast-O-Meter. In it, we find our hero barely staving off his foe, Liberal Flip-Flopper. Lots of toast, coffee, and linky goodness.
October 22nd, 2026 at 8:02 am
Toasty Warm
Oh sure, I take one day off from the Internet and Steven Taylor sneaks the Toast-O-Meter back….
October 22nd, 2026 at 4:22 pm
Don’t get over confident Ron. While I certainly agree with you… You have to realize that this isn’t an election between President Bush and John Kerry. This election is between President Bush and the War on Terrorism. It is about whether or not any particular voter voting will support going after the Terrorists or backing down due to casaulties. A lot of ‘weak heated’ Americans are going towards John Kerry, not because of John Kerry, but because in a war there are casaulties.